Wednesday, 20 August 2008

As much as we love the variety of food that's available in restaurants these days, there is always something special about home-cooked dishes that we grew up eating. It is familiar, it is comforting, and made extra special by the accompanying memories of food made with love.

This is a recipe based on something that AP's mum cooked for the kids for years (and still does). I've had it a number of times and really liked it. It's a quick and simple dinner, with a good mix of protein and vegetables, and tastes great. We tend to have this with new or roast potatoes, but it's also good with rice. I have adapted the original recipe by browning the meat to seal in the juices, and by adding wholegrain mustard to the sauce, since mustard goes so well with pork. This will be a keeper for the coming autumn and winter months.

1. Preheat oven to 200C/gas 6. Heat some oil in a frying pan. Season the pork chops with salt and pepper and brown them in the frying pan to seal, about a minute on each side. 2. Place the pork chops in a deep roasting or casserole dish with the leeks, carrots and mushrooms. Mix the condensed cream of mushroom soup with the milk and wholegrain mustard and pour over the pork chops. Season with salt and pepper and add the oregano. 3. Cover the casserole dish with a lid or a piece of foil and cook in the middle of the oven for 20-25 minutes until the pork chops are cooked through. Serve with the mushroom sauce and garnish with parsley.

Just started reading your blog recently and am happy to see a recipe using cream of mushroom soup. I know it's really bad for you, blah blah blah, and I use it as little as possible, but once in a while it's soooo comforting especially in the form of a casserole!

Noobcook: Well, casseroles are not common in Singapore due to the climate! Still, they are nice on a cold rainy day :)

Didally: Indeed. You can even skip the browning part for less washing up and just put the whole thing in the oven. I think AP's mum didn't tend to brown the meat.

Beth: Thanks. I think pork chops tend to be underrated with chicken and beef being more popular at the moment.

Elaine: Heh, thanks. I like to cook from scratch most of the time but sometimes you just need to convenience of something like a canned cream of mushroom soup. As long as the rest of the meal is well balanced, it's still a good meal :)

Amy: Thanks! It's nice to hear that your mum used to make it too, and it's really the definition of comfort food :)

My mom always used to make pork chops with mushroom sauce too, and cream of mushroom soup played a major role. With rice, and you put the sauce on the rice, yummmmm. It was one of the few ways I liked pork chops! Of course, my husband can't stand mushrooms, so I don't make it myself, but a girl can dream, can't she?

Camille: My husband makes a chicken and mushroom with cream of mushroom soup, and puts it on rice. I think it was from his student days, hehe. It does taste rather good. What a shame your husband does not like mushrooms!